January 2016
Hello, I’m Agent CF! I love to travel and write about my travel experiences here!
Previously I prettied up my lashes and nails for Christmas at Queen’s Market and I’m now here again to share my Volume Rebonding experience at Koinonia Salon.
Here’s what my hair normally looks like… pretty straight and boring.
As Agent G says in her 3 hairstyles to ditch for 2016, I should absolutely ditch the straight hair this year.
Volume rebonding was suggested as a hairstyle to try and since Koinonia Salon is an expert in Volume Rebonding, I was hoping to get my hair done at Koinonia!
My Volume Rebonding Experience Begins
Koinonia is very conveniently located at the Orchard Road Belt. It’s at Pacific Plaza, which is right opposite Far East Plaza.
Once I arrived, my hair stylist Nik sat me down immediately and began the consultation. By the way, Nik is a Korean stylist who has been working in Singapore for the last 2-3 years! Even though he is still not as fluent as a typical Singaporean stylist, his English is really quite understandable… I don’t have to exert much effort to communicate with him!
I shared that I would like to try Volume Rebonding to achieve a more voluminous and natural straightening for my hair. Nik went ahead to explain a little more about Volume Rebonding to me. Volume Rebonding is actually a Korean straightening technique which is really different from the typical rebonding that most of us are familiar with. It combines a straightening for the top half of the hair and perm for the bottom half of the hair. The result is therefore pretty and soft waves, and not poker-straight hair that make you look like you just got caught in a huge storm haha.
The type of the curl that they will recommend to you depends on the length of your hair, hair texture and hair condition. Here’s Nik showing me what a C-curl looks like.
And this one is an S-curl!
Those with shorter hair suit the C curl better, and those with longer hair suit the S curl better; the C curl is more obvious when short (chin-length) while S curl adds more volume, fitting a longer hair frame better.
For myself, Nik suggested that we do a C to S curl.
After choosing the style, Nik explained further on the type of chemicals that are to be used.
1. Regular Rebonding Cream (L’Oreal Xtenso)
2. MUCOTA DYNA Argan Oil
As my hair is a little dry and texture pretty fine, Nik chose the more expensive MUCOTA DYNA Argan Oil for me. Some salons use MUCOTA Argan Oil as a treatment but its DYNA range can actually be used for rebonding or perming as well. In fact, the MUCOTA DYNA lotion incorporates a lot of treatment to minimize damage during the straightening / perming process, making it more suitable for my hair type!
All excited and ready to go!
To get started, a hair assistant washed my hair and gave it a blow-dry.
Then, Nik applied straightening cream to my hair.
You’ll have to wait for 20 minutes for the cream to be absorbed into your hair.
What it does is that it breaks the existing bonds in your hair so your hair is likely to become straight after this cream is applied!
I must say, Koinonia is very thoughtful, even providing ear caps so that the straightening cream doesn’t get into your ears!
When that’s done, it’s time for another wash, before your hair gets prepped for curling.
The stylist wrapped my hair in between two pieces of cloth, put in the roller, then secured and fastened it with more cloth and a rubber band.
After my whole head was done, the rollers were plugged into a machine to heat for approximately 20 minutes.
And now, removing the rollers… my hair came out SUPER curly as you can see below but I told myself not to worry and trust Nik hahaha.
Sidetracking a bit, Nik has been working in Korea as a stylist since he was 19. With 16 years in the industry, I have faith in his expertise!
The next step was to straighten my hair from the roots to approximately half the length. When that was done, I had another hair wash.
Nik sprayed on a ‘neutralizer’ that would make the curls last longer, and my hair was left to soak in it for approximately 10 minutes, before another wash.
When I was done with my wash, my hair looked completely straight, and I was a bit perplexed.
Nik started blow-drying it, and even halfway through, my hair was totally straight, but towards the end, the bottom part of my hair magically started to curl up, and it was pretty amazing to see.
And…. Tadah! My hair was magically transformed from straight and lifeless to being slightly wavy. Even though I had subjected my hair to so much (curling, straightening, heat), it was very soft and smooth, all thanks to the treatment that was mixed into the cream! Super amazed and happy at the transformation.
<Pictures from Nik>
And here’s how it looked straight on!
Nik told me that I could wash my hair the next morning, which I didn’t expect (because sometimes when curling or straightening your hair, you have to abstain from washing for three days or so).
But it was really a plus point for me, because I have a habit of washing my hair every morning, and feel very uncomfortable if I go without washing!
Conclusion
The process, service, and overall experience at Koinonia salon was great! The salon itself was away from the crowds but still conveniently located in Orchard. The stylist and the assistants were professional and friendly.
My volume rebonded hair also felt soft and shiny after the procedure. Not excessively flat or frizzy with just a hint of waves near the ends, making me look professional for work!
Not sure if its because my hair was a little fine, my curls however did not seem to last very long. Nik had explained to me that if I wanted a more natural look, I could just towel dry my hair and my curls would be less obvious, but that if I liked the waves, I should blow-dry my hair. Even though I tried blow-drying my hair, I couldn’t achieve the same effect, and my curls loosened out pretty quickly over the next few days.
My hair now looks more similar to the picture that Nik showed me for the C-curl, instead of the C to S that I did.
Still, I’m pretty satisfied because the volume rebonding lived up to its claims and didn’t create the “flat” effect that I’ve always associated with rebonding!